Enchanting 7-Day Costa Rica Family Vacation

What to expect on this itinerary
This luxurious 7-day journey combines three iconic destinations with adventures on volcanos, in the cloud forest, on Pacific beaches, and within wildlife refuges. Green, tranquil, wild, and full of wonder, Costa Rica is an enchanting destination for a family foray with a focus on interactive fun. Hot springs and bucolic lodges provide space to unwind, and private activities provide your family with much of the best of Costa Rica. Get ready to explore La Paz, Manuel Antonio National Park, Arenal, and Monteverde.
Customizable Itinerary
La Paz – Smothered in Cacao
Your Costa Rican vacation will begin the moment that you land in San Jose, and a nearby cacao plantation will be the perfect place to engage your kids immediately. You will be picked up at the airport by your driver and transferred to La Paz. Along the way, you will stop at an organic farm, where you can wander through the cacao bushes and wonder how such a bizarre plant can create such a delicious delicacy. From the cacao plantation, you will continue your journey to La Paz, which is a small destination that is surrounded by lush valleys. Here, your welcoming dinner will be complemented by traditional song and dance and a platter of local cuisine.
What's Included:
La Paz – Wonders of an Active Volcano
Manuel Antonio National Park – Pacific Ocean Bliss
Manuel Antonio National Park – Costa Rican Wildlife
Arenal – Ziplining Through the Trees
Arenal – The Hanging Bridges of Monteverde
Arenal – Intimate Wildlife Encounters
Trip Highlights
- Venture up-close and personal with an incredible range of wildlife in Manuel Antonio National Park, including sloths and monkeys
- Discover cacao from bean to bar, and your kids will have the opportunity to smear their faces in chocolate
- Immerse yourself in the cloud forest and walk together across the hanging bridges of Monteverde
- Relax into the blissful atmosphere of Manuel Antonio National Park, where quiet Pacific beaches help you escape your everyday
- Fly through the trees on a thrilling zipline adventure beneath Arenal volcano
- Indulge in a visit to a wildlife sanctuary to learn more about Costa Rica’s wildlife and to look endangered monkeys in the eye
- Luxuriate around in thermal hot springs, which is the soporific way to unwind after your family adventures around Arenal
- Enjoy a treasure hunt on an active volcano, which will include peering into its bubbling crater and searching for hidden waterfalls
Detailed Description
Costa Rica is perfect for families who want comfort with their adventure. Safe and surprisingly small, Costa Rica is a country that packs a wonderful array of experiences into a landscape of wild biodiversity and protected national parks. Volcanos rise like kings above the interior with their iconic shapes towering above cloud forests and tropical hues. Golden Pacific beaches often provide a refreshing breeze, and the thermal hot springs create places to completely unwind. Howler and capuchin monkeys may present themselves in the jungle, while sloths and more than 800 different birds can be witnessed among the trees. During your luxurious, 7-day adventure, you will have excellent family time as Costa Rica is a place to both relax and explore together.
This idyllic, 7-day journey has been handcrafted to include three distinctive destinations, so you can discover three unique sides to the country. La Paz is convenient to travel from San Jose, which is the main international airport, and will create charming experiences with cacao, coffee, and a very active volcano. Manuel Antonio National Park will provide beachside bliss with intimate wildlife experiences. It is also a place where the rolling surf meets monkeys and where you can watch the wide-eyed wonder of your kids. The Arenal area is all about adventure tourism, such as ziplining and walking across hanging bridges in a cloud forest, but the thermal springs and spectacular views mean that this is also a place where you can unwind and find tranquility.
These three destinations will be connected by short local flights, and with seven days in Costa Rica, you can discover much more by flying than you could by losing a day or two on the road. All of your activities will be private, so whether you are smearing your kid’s face in raw cacao or searching for quetzals in the cloud forest, your exact itinerary can be timetabled and customized to you. Hotels and lodges have also been handpicked for their family suitability, and inter-connected rooms will keep you together.
Over these exciting seven days, you will be provided with the opportunity to come face to face with three monkey species, discover some of the world’s finest coffee, ride a sky tram above the forest canopy, and indulge in a family treasure hunt around an active volcano. They have a local saying in Costa Rica that you will hear regularly: Pura Vida, which means that life is very good indeed. Life can be almost perfect when you can explore such wondrous locations with the family on a vacation that will make a week feel like a lifetime of memories.
Starting Price
$1,700 per person (excluding international flights)
Your Zicasso trip is fully customizable, and this sample itinerary is a starting place for your travel plans. Actual costs are dynamic, and your selection of accommodations and activities, your season of travel, and other such variables will bring this budget guideline up or down. Throughout your planning experience with your Zicasso specialist, your itinerary is designed around your budget. You can book your trip when you are satisfied with every detail. Planning your trip with a Zicasso travel specialist is a free service.
What's Included
The starting price is based on travel during the low season for a minimum of two travelers staying in shared 3-star accommodations. Please inquire for a custom trip quote based on your travel preferences and travel dates.
Verified Traveler Reviews
Based on 101 reviews
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Mike and I wanted to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude for our unforgettable two-week adventure in Costa Rica. The trip was amazing and exceeded our expectations. We were spoiled by the private transfers and private tours. All of the tour guides were professional and very informative. We enjoyed all of the selected hotels, with the lodge in Monteverde being our favorite. The hotel had a great happy hour with a variety of drinks and was within walking distance of Santa Elena. We liked having daily breakfast included and loved all of the fresh fruits, especially the cantaloupe and watermelon.
We appreciated your attention to detail and expert recommendations for the variety of tours and guides. We enjoyed the float trips and had a wonderful tour of the mangroves in Manuel Antonio. Our time in Monteverde included a rainy day hiking the hanging bridges and ziplining for the first time. I am glad we added the vanilla tour to our agenda in Manuel Antonio.
Thank you so much for making this trip special and stress-free. Please let your staff know that we appreciated all of their hard work. The WhatsApp gateway was great once we figured out how to use the app. It allowed us to communicate with the team to update us on schedule changes or other information. We will definitely recommend your services to our family and friends, and ook forward to visiting Costa Rica in the future.
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The trip was great. The hotels were particularly amazing and I have stayed at many hotels around the world. Tabacón was so unique, it could be my favorite part of the trip. My husband and son absolutely loved the resort and the gorgeous private beach (and monkeys).
All of the excursions were amazing, except one. The horseback riding was on such a unique and wide open trail, we felt like we were alone in paradise on horseback (and the boys both expected to hate it!). Except for the fishing, the guides on every single tour were truly incredible and enhanced every experience. I would think twice before recommending that particular fishing charter. They were barely friendly and very unhelpful.
Other than that, everything was perfect. Somehow, they even made the long ride from Arenal to Manuel Antonio pleasant. Zicasso's travel agent put together a wonderful experience.
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Zicasso's travel agent did excellent job. There were limitations for our elderly father regarding hiking Arenal, doing the bridge walk and plantation tour, and navigating steep steps at the hotel in Monteverde. We may not have realized the extent of his physical limitation. Otherwise, the trip was well planned.
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